Session 113

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 13

Random_Nerd: __________________________START__________________
Random_Nerd: The copper-infused bird skeleton preens the air which occupies the place that it's feathers would be in if it actually had any.

• Herbert looks unhappily at the Bird.
  

Theresa: "Do you handle other Nobles this way?"
Random_Nerd: C: "I think that if my progenitor wished an ordinary noble, he would have created one."
DanteE: "Can't argue with that..."
Random_Nerd: C: "Either that, or he was just drunk."
Theresa: "That could be too. We have a Wildlord for an Imperator and for all we know, he turns around in a circle and plays pin the shard of Nobility on the mortal."
Random_Nerd: C: "God."
Random_Nerd: (Err, retcon that.)
Random_Nerd: (Misread.)
Herbert: "So...you plan on spying on us a lot longer or is your business here finished?"
Random_Nerd: C: "Are you planning on doing something interesting?"
Theresa: "And do you consider us enemies now or what?"
Theresa: "Define interesting. We just got back from a Council meeting."
DanteE: (Well, let's see, there's me Elvis imitation...)
DanteE: *my
Herbert: "Yes, I have something in mind." Herb looks a little meaner than usual.
Random_Nerd: C: "That depends on what you mean by enemies. I consider you to be people by whose actions, deliberately or not, things that I value may be harmed."
Random_Nerd: C:
Random_Nerd: "Same as the Power of Consequences."
Herbert: Looks at the others: "Are we done with this guy?"
Theresa: *shrug* "If he wants to tag along, sure, but snooping on the Chancel isn't all it's cracked up to be."
DanteE: to the others: "Well, we need to locate James, talk to Wildlords ... talk to Barakiel...
Herbert: "Okay then." Herb smiles.
Random_Nerd: Copper Bird: "Do you think the things you're going to do will affect me or my Imperator?"
Theresa: "Not directly, that we know of."
Theresa: "For all we know, we've started the final countdown to the end of the Age and that affects everyone.
Theresa: "
DanteE: "They shouldn't."
Random_Nerd: The bird nods, and raises one skeletal wing dramatically.
Random_Nerd: Then an immense bolt of lightning flies down from the sky and hits him, accompanied by a deafening thundercrack.
DanteE: (Didn't he give himself copper flesh?)
Random_Nerd: (Not enough to fully replace his flesh.)
DanteE: "That was intentional, right?"
Random_Nerd: (Just enough to be able to manipulate the bones and make a speaking membrane.)
Random_Nerd: Dante, half of the bird skull flies just past your left ear at a pretty fast rate.
DanteE: "... nice exit, I guess."
Herbert: (Damn, I was planning to do a Lesser Creation of a lots of iron just over his head... ;) )
Herbert: "So, we have a lot of work to do, right?"
DanteE: "As usual."
DanteE: (Are the Aides here?)
Random_Nerd: (No.)
Random_Nerd: (But they're a few blocks away.)
Herbert: "Where should we start. You said you wanted to talk to my predecessor?"
Theresa: "Flashy guy..."
DanteE: "Yeah... do you have any connection to James?"
Theresa: "Well, James isn't in the Chancel. But I don't know where he would go out of here."
Herbert: "I do feel him from time to time. Memories, vague sensations. I could try to /contact/ him through the Chancel's Heart..."
Theresa: "Hmm...would he still be a piece of Urbanization that you could feel?"
Random_Nerd: (He has Noble-like immunity to direct miracles, and so is not a part of any estate.)
DanteE: "We should deliver that 'message' to Barakiel, though"
Herbert: "Possibly. What do we want with him? We want to know what he saw or experienced outside of Creation?"
Herbert: (Can I try to sense him through the Chancel's Heart?)
Random_Nerd: (Well, his representation there is missing, although it seemed to have become part of Kudzu's gear.)
DanteE: (I grabbed his gear, remember?)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah. And it vanished.)
Random_Nerd: (Well, if you'd been watching the Realm's Heart, you'd have seen Kudzu's gear eat it.)
Random_Nerd: (But it amounts to the same thing.)
Random_Nerd: (And this way saves us some special effects budget!)
Herbert: "I could try to communicate with him in the Clock Tower. We can also send that message to Barakiel. What's the message by the way?"
DanteE: "Basically, 'Boo!'"
Random_Nerd: (There wasn't a specific message, just "Something to make Barakiel nervous.")
Herbert: "Do you have his home number?"
DanteE: "We can talk through Consequences..."
Theresa: "That Ananda wants him afraid. I have his flowers available, if William can tell me them when we get there. When do we have to hit Chicago?"
Random_Nerd: (Tomorrow, although we can cut to then if you like.)
Herbert: (I'd try to contact James and we could try to call Barakiel, and then move to Chicago?)
Theresa: (Sounds like a plan. Shall we cut to the tower? I want to meet your Anchor, Herb.  :) )
Random_Nerd: (Works for me.)
DanteE: (OK)
Random_Nerd: (Okay. First, what method are you using to try to contact James?)
Herbert: (I was thinking of simply going into the mechanism room, touch Kudku's gear and, instead of praying to him, try to connect with James.)
DanteE: (Classmates.com?)
Theresa: (GoogleNobles 's GPS tracker?)
Random_Nerd: (Okay, cut to the gear room, then.)
Random_Nerd: Kudzu's Gear stretches out before you. As before. it's studded with blocky chunks of brick.

• Herbert enters the gear room and walks towards the biggest gear. He looks rather uneasy. He doesn't like to think to much about his "predecessor".
  
• Theresa sighs at the lack of her own gear in the room and then quiets down.
  

DanteE: "What the hell do the brick chunks mean, anyway?"

• Herbert looks for anything on the gear that would correspond to James's presence within the Imperator.
  

Random_Nerd: (Well, the brick chunks are new. They could be James. Of course, his old gear wasn't brick.)
DanteE: (... are they gray brick?)
Random_Nerd: (No, reddish.)

• Herbert touches the gear and concentrates, sort of praying to his Imperator, but thinking about the Imperator's shard that within him and that used to be in James.
  

Theresa: (Do they look like the bricks from California?  :) )
Random_Nerd: Suddenly, out of the side of Herb's head, the gargoyle visage of James protrudes.
Random_Nerd: James' Face: "Where am I?"
DanteE: "The Tower.

• Theresa blinks.
  

Herbert: "Hello... James."

• Herbert looks in pain a little.
  

Random_Nerd: The James-head tries to face Herb, but that's not really possible when it's on the other side of his head.
Herbert: (Can I do a Lesser Creation of Gargoyle to give him a temporary body?)
Random_Nerd: James: "I'm a bit worried about the boss."
Random_Nerd: (You could create a gargoyle body, but it wouldn't be attached unless you made it in the same space as your own body.)
Random_Nerd: (Which I, for instance, would not do.)
Theresa: "Worried in what way, besides him devouring yourself?"
Herbert: (I'll go with a Ghost Miracle to create a mirror through which I can see his face and he can see mine.)
DanteE: "You're worried about him?
Random_Nerd: James: "Have you seen what it's like in there?"
Random_Nerd: James' eyes glimmer with little sparks of light.
Random_Nerd: J: "Did you figure out yet whether I'm me or not?"
DanteE: "Not yet..."

• DanteE examines James' eyes...
  

Herbert: "Why are you worried about the boss, apart from the fact the he ate you? What's it like 'in there'?"
Theresa: "We've been dealing with some Excrucian attacks on other Chancels. And a Warmain that is missing some of his memory as well."
Random_Nerd: They're carved of stone, but little specks of light drift across their surface.
DanteE: "That may not be a Warmain."
Random_Nerd: J: "The boss's friend?"
DanteE: "No, different Warmain. Maybe. You heard the name Suebi?"
Random_Nerd: James: "No. Don't think so. Unless it was out there. Let me see if I can remember."
Random_Nerd: The James-face crumbles and falls to the ground as gravel. It forms itself into a vaguely humanoid shape.
Random_Nerd: Gravel: "Is something the matter, Urbanization?"
Theresa: (*facepalm*)
Random_Nerd: Gravel: "I'd prefer not to be disturbed. I was just now remembering something, or almost remembering."
Theresa: (It's like a see-saw, huh?)
Random_Nerd: Kudzu grabs chunks out of the floor and puts them into himself.
Random_Nerd: K: "Now, what was that? It was on the tip of my tongue...brain...soul? Something about that Warmain you asked me about."
DanteE: "Suebi."
Herbert: "Sorry to disturb you boss. I just wanted to talk to my predecessor."
Random_Nerd: K: "What did you want to ask about him?"
DanteE: ".... you know him?
DanteE: "Either he or Sakharoth may have reappeared on Dionyl while you were out"
Random_Nerd: K: "The first urbanization? Of course I do. Did. Do?"
Random_Nerd: K: "I was just thinking about him, right before the thing about the Warmain."
Herbert: "We wanted to learn more about his experience outside of Creation, and what it can tell us of the current situation."
Random_Nerd: Kudzu crumbles to bits, which fall to the floor and make a James-face.
Random_Nerd: James: "...thing about the Warmain. What was I saying?"
DanteE: "Out there...
Random_Nerd: A man-sized chunk of floor stands up, with the James face sticking out of the back.
Random_Nerd: K: "What did I do with that body? I had it here a moment ago."
Theresa: "Which body, boss? You've had multiple ones today, I think."
Random_Nerd: K: "Good point."
Theresa: (Can Imperators get Alzheimer's? Is that what Outside is?)
Herbert: "Suebi, what do you know about him?"
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "I don't think I ever met him." James: "May have met him once. Seemed a bit off."
Random_Nerd: Kudzu swats at his back, but misses the face.
DanteE: "Kudzu, wait...
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "Wait?"
DanteE: "Don't swat at James.
Theresa: (Oh, we're in for it now...)
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "James? What are you talking about?"
DanteE: "I think he's helping you remember the Outside."
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "Really? Let me try again."
Random_Nerd: The James-face is absorbed into the back, but Kudzu's improvised face takes on a Jameslike cast, and a single spark drifts across his left eye.
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "Did you ever wonder if the reason that we don't understand the Excrucians is that their plans are stupid? That it's not us lacking knowledge about their motives, but that they fundamentally don't know what they're doing?"
Herbert: "An...interesting theory, sir."
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "Oh, sure, their Strategists are smart. But they've got the wrong kind of it, I sometimes think. No elegance. They add complications and complications just for the sheer joy of it. And what does it say that their planners are also their sadistic nuts?"

• Herbert looks at the others to gauge their reactions.
  

Random_Nerd: Another speck of light drifts.
DanteE: "That wouldn't fit with their successes in the Valde Bellum"
Random_Nerd: K: "And the ones that actually come here, in power, they just smash things. Effectively, they know what they're doing, but it doesn't seem to fit into any sort of plan. That's Barakiel's problem. He assumes that there's some great high intellegence, some Excrucian version of Entropy, who's waiting for an advantage."
Herbert: "So, that would make them little more than barbarians trying to breach the gates?"
Theresa: "But it's possible that they're just floundering around, hoping they hit something?"
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "Did you ever wonder if they're more desparate than we are?"
Theresa: *whispers to Dante* "The successes could just be the old 'clock right twice a day' thing."
Random_Nerd: K: "I mean, look at it. When we send people out at them, we don't get them back. But it's not like /they/ get the people they send in back more than a fraction of the time. But they keep doing it."
Theresa: "But then the question would be why? Why are they desparate? Are they running from something or to something?"
Herbert: "And how can we verify this hypothesis, and what does it bring us?"
Random_Nerd: K: "That's what I don't get. Their actions don't seem to fit some great plan. Did you ever lose something, something important, and you'd looked everywhere and you couldn't find it?"
DanteE: ".... is there such a thing as an Estate originating from outside Creation?"
Random_Nerd: K: "And did you keep looking in places that you knew it wasn't, just to see if you were wrong, because you had to do /something/?"
Random_Nerd: K: "Well, how do the Wild estates even work? I came in from outside. My Estates are integral parts of... almost all are integral parts of me. But they were here before I came. Bits of them, at least."
Random_Nerd: K: "So, did I bring these things in from out there? Or did I just claim them when I got here?"
DanteE: "You'd be the only one who could tell us."
Herbert: "Life out there began here?"
Random_Nerd: K: "But I just wonder at the sequence of events. We started coming in from out there, and then they started coming. Did they come because of us, or did us and them come in for the same reason?"
Theresa: "Maybe it's a cycle. Estates moving back and forth around the Wall."
Herbert: "Perhaps we should ask your Warmain friend..."
Theresa: "But they might not know _either_."
Theresa: "If they knew more about Wildlords, especially if they were the same as Wildlords, don't you think they would be capitalizing on that already?"
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "He wouldn't tell me. He won't betray Them for me, any more than I'd betray Us for him."
DanteE: "That's actually good to know..."
Random_Nerd: The Jamesness passes out of Kudzu's face.
DanteE: "Are you remembering what's on the Other Side?"
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "I don't remember the /facts/. But I think I'm starting to get a feel for the /attitudes/. The emotions."
Theresa: "Like what? Scared? Angry?"
DanteE: "Uhoh."
Random_Nerd: Kudzu: "What?"
DanteE: "Did you know more about it before you created Nobles?"
Random_Nerd: K: "More about Outside?"
DanteE: "Right."
Random_Nerd: K: "Don't think so. Less, maybe. About the same, I suppose."
Herbert: "Thanks for the information sir."
Herbert: To the others: "Perhaps we should let the Imperator return to his...musings?"

• Theresa shrugs. "It's your seance, Herb."
  

DanteE: "We should be talking to Barakiel anyway."
Herbert: "Good-bye sir. Good-bye James."

• Herbert breaks the contact.
  

Herbert: "So, now that my seance is over, let's do that long-distance call!"
Random_Nerd: Kudzu still stands there, but seems to be staring off into space.
Theresa: "We'll need to set up some place to put the people from Hell when we bring them home too."

• DanteE is still looking at Kudzu...
  

Herbert: "New arrivals, again? In what shape do you expect them to be, physically and mentally?"
Random_Nerd: (Probably rather worse off than Lesson was.)
DanteE: (Yeah, figure PTSD from hell. Literally.)
Herbert: "Perhaps some sort of rehabilitation centre would be called for?
Herbert: "
Theresa: "Uh...soft things around anything sharp might not be too much."
Theresa: "And we probably shouldn't have them be around Lesson. Ever."
DanteE: "Then again, the fact that they're _out_ of Hell should help somewhat...
Herbert: (Lesser Divination of Realm: is there any appropriate building in Kaerkoven to house them?)
Herbert: (A psychiatric hospital or parts of a jail?)
Random_Nerd: (Appropriate in which way?)
Herbert: (A place where a bunch of people can be safely contained and supervised.)
Theresa: (Our luck...oh, wait, rule 0...  :) )
Random_Nerd: (Yes, there are several such places.)
Random_Nerd: (For that matter, even if there weren't, you could build one in half an hour or less.)
DanteE: (Of course considering we have Courage and Hope in our Familia, that should help some...)
Theresa: (With perfectly padded walls. And ninja butlers...oh, no, wait, not ninjas, might cause trauma.)
Theresa: (Make our own version of a Sanctuary?)
Random_Nerd: (Well, those aren't really designed to be places to put seriously disturbed people.)
Herbert: (I start multiplying Lesser Creations to come up with "Paradise", a comfortable but secure "health centre" on the periphery of the city.)
Random_Nerd: (Any specific design intentions that'd be noteworthy?)
DanteE: "That's right, I'll need to remember how to deal with Extreme Trauma..."
Angelo_ITA: (brain wash the traumathized?)
Theresa: "Give them a chair and a heavy stick and have them beat their own monsters?"
Herbert: (The place as a retro-futuristic look (think 2001: A Space Odyssey) and is dominated by the colour white.)
Herbert: (The building is also, as much as possible, devoid of things and places where a person might be hurt. So there's a lot of padding. The furniture is fixed to the floors, etc.)
Random_Nerd: (Okay.)
Random_Nerd: (So, anything to do before meeting with Hell for the pickup?)
DanteE: (Barakiel?)
Theresa: (Yeah, we should do the angel-taunting first.)

• • • Angelo_ITA has signed off IRC (Ping timeout).
      

Herbert: (That should be fun!)
Random_Nerd: (Okay, how do you want to go about it?)
Theresa: (We should probably tell Consequences, not Barakiel. Telling Barakiel would be like telling the President that you egged his house while he tells the Secret Service where to hide the bodies...)
DanteE: (Tell Consequences that Ananda knows about his boss' Plan A, and isn't happy?)
Herbert: (Can't we just tell him that Ananda wants him frightened?)
DanteE: (I doubt that would work)
Theresa: (I lean more toward Herb's. We don't _know_ Ananda knows the plan. It might be something different.)
DanteE: (It's a reasonable assumption)
Herbert: (I suppose we can discuss this IC?)
Theresa: (Sure. Conference room?)
DanteE: (OK)
Random_Nerd: (That works.)

• Theresa sips her iced hot chocolate at the conference table.
  

DanteE: "So... what do we tell them?"
DanteE: "I think Ananda knows about the original plan."

• Herbert looks at his notepad thoughtfully. In the distance, a new building is taking shape, piece by piece.
  

Theresa: "Ananda smiled at us. I think. And said to tell you hi."

• • • Angelo_ITA has joined #nobilis.
      

Theresa: "It could be that he knows a different plan. Barakiel doesn't seem the type to have all of his murders in one basket."
Theresa: (Hmm..basket or basket case...ehh...)
Angelo_ITA: (I was disconnected from: <Herbert> (The place as a retro-futuristic look... What I lost?)
Herbert: "Whatever we go for, I think minimalism is the best bet."
DanteE: (Angelo: Not much IC. We're discussing what to tell Barakiel to spook him)
DanteE: "Would help if we knew what would spook Barakiel, besides losing the war."
Theresa: "Being told 'no'."
Herbert: "Just the fact that Ananda wants him scared, that's something no? I know it would bother me. Than again, I'm no Imperator."
DanteE: "Hm... we could tell Consequences that Ananda wants Barakiel scared... he might just go say 'Boo!' though."
Theresa: "I think Ananda bothers even Imperators. Even Entropy. He's...different and unknowable, at least until the Fourth Age defines him."
Random_Nerd: (And who knows if something freaky will happen to him like happened to the original Ataris.)
Random_Nerd: (Err, Attaris.)
Random_Nerd: (Err, actually, the original Ebrot Appeka, who Attaris replaced/somethinged.)
Theresa: (For all we know, he'll...oh crud. Not that thought. *cringe* Dont' want to say it.)
DanteE: (Well once the ET Cartridges were made their fate was sealed... :) )
Herbert: "I think much of it is in the delivery. A short and cryptic call to Consequence, an unknowable, but vaguely menacing message from Ananda to his Imperator. And voilà!"
DanteE: "You think 'Ananda wants you scared' is enough to scare another Imperator, though?"
Theresa: "Does he scare Entropy?"
Random_Nerd: (At least once.)
DanteE: "Not sure 'scare' is the right word..."
Theresa: "I more imagine Ananda just _smiling_ at some Imperator in some smug, condesending way, all quiet-like until the Imperator just cracks with a 'Will you just do it already?!?'"
Herbert: "I think so, but if you have a better idea, go ahead!"
Theresa: (And I love you, dear. No offense meant.  :) )
DanteE: "Hm.
Theresa: (One of Ananda's hidden Powers is GMing.)
DanteE: "Well... where's Consequences' flower?"
Theresa: *poofcreate*

• DanteE plugs it into the conference room screen
  

DanteE: "We ready?
Herbert: "Yep."
Random_Nerd: (Ananda: Ymera of Murder, the Infinite, the 4th Age, and Rule Zero.)
Theresa: (What would be the heraldry of Rule Zero?)
Theresa: "Go for it." *sip*
Angelo_ITA: (Every time Ananda smile, somewhere a player death)
Random_Nerd: (It would be a flower that I could design if my brain was not made of suet and cashews.)
DanteE: (The flowers of Ignorance and Protection...)

• DanteE contacts Consequences.
  

Random_Nerd: Wasplike Voice: "You have reached the Dominus of Consequences. If you are Noble, state the name of the ruler of Earth."
DanteE: "Lord Entropy"
Theresa: "Hey, it's the wasp!"
Random_Nerd: Wasplike Voice: "Is this an emergency, or do you have imfornation that the Power of Consequences requires?"
DanteE: "The latter, I think."
Random_Nerd: Wasp: "Please hold."
Random_Nerd: The waspvoice hums a muzak version of All Along The Watchtower.
Random_Nerd: (Yes, Shadows has a weird sense of humor.)
DanteE: "Least he wasn't strangled..."
Random_Nerd: Consequences: "Who is this?"
Theresa: (COuld have been Smoke on the Water.)
DanteE: "Courage. We have news from the Council."

• Herbert whispers: "Remember: short and enigmatic."
  

Random_Nerd: Consequences: "Yes?"
DanteE: "Well... Ananda wants Barakiel scared.
Random_Nerd: C: "Why?"
Theresa: "We don't know why."
Theresa: "We were just told to give a message."
DanteE: "I think it's because he heard about his original plan, but I may be wrong."
Theresa: (Us keeping it short and sweet? It is to laugh long and loud.)
Random_Nerd: C: "Barakiel already is scared. The shit is hitting the fan, and I haven't slept in a week."
Theresa: (Which shit and whose fan?)
DanteE: "Does he know Ananda isn't happy with him?"
Random_Nerd: (Excrucians crashing the party and vomiting on the carpet.)
Random_Nerd: C: "I think so. I try to keep a buffer between him and that sort of thing."
Theresa: (But that carpet tied the room together!)
DanteE: (Hm... we were asked to tell him something that would scare him. If he's already scared, does that mean we can't succeed?)
Random_Nerd: C: "Ananda specifically said that he wanted you to make my boss scared?"
Random_Nerd: (Or does it mean that you /already/ succeeded before you even tried?)
DanteE: "Yes."
Herbert: (You were told to do your best, not to succeed.)
Herbert: "I hope we've succeeded."
DanteE: "Either tell him something scary, or tell you something that would scare him"
Random_Nerd: C: "Well, I don't know if that'll scare /him/, but it's certainly unsettled me. If we survive the next year or so, I plan to redesign my body for the purposes of getting inhumanly, transcendantly drunk for at least a month."
Angelo_ITA: (nice purpose!)
Angelo_ITA: (poor sod btw)
Theresa: "Want us to put you on the liver transplant list?"
Herbert: "Good luck with that."
DanteE: "We told you when the world's ending, right?"
Random_Nerd: C: "I plan to have a liver that, if a bird tried to rip it out of me while I'm tied to a rock, would /fight back/."
Theresa: "That's not a liver, that's a parasite."
Random_Nerd: C: "Yes, the world's ending. I need to stop it, and it may already be too late. Is there anything you can do to help me?"
Theresa: "And possibly it would take all of the alcohol and not leave you any."
DanteE: "There's some wild speculation from our Wildlord...
DanteE: "Or we can send more vino."
Random_Nerd: C: "And the Magisters of the Light are shiny?"
DanteE: "Well, he was saying that maybe the Excrucians really don't know what they're doing."
Random_Nerd: C: "I hope he's wrong. If they know what they're doing, we can figure it out and stop them. If not... I don't even know what to do."
DanteE: "They seem to just barge in and break stuff..."
Random_Nerd: C: "I'm sorry to be rude, I genuinely like you people, I just don't have much time left."
DanteE: "We know."
DanteE: (Anyone else have messages, or should we let him go?)
Theresa: (Let's let him go. He's strung out. And I'm tired. <g>)
Herbert: (I've got nothing to add :) )
DanteE: "We'll let you go, then. Good luck."
Random_Nerd: You feel the connection start to cut, but just before it's finished... Wasp: "Your prayer is important to us..."
Random_Nerd: Shadows: "Can you hear me?"
Theresa: "Hi Shadows!"
DanteE: "Shadows?"
Herbert: "Uh-oh."
Theresa: "Oh, we have a message for you too from Ananda."
Random_Nerd: Shadows: "I'm worried about my brother. But I don't know many folks, and everyone I've talked to either says to do what he says, says they think he's been crazy for years, or pretends I'm not even in the room."
Theresa: "We'll listen to you. What's up?"
DanteE: "Who, Consequences?"
Random_Nerd: Shadows: "Yes. He's twice as stressed as he was just last week, and I don't even know what he could be like a week from now."
Theresa: "If the Age changes, he may have to have a good lie-down."
DanteE: "That actually makes sense, with the Age ending everybody wants his word on things."
Herbert: "if he survives..."
Random_Nerd: Shadows: "Oh, hey, the wasp thing. Pretty cool, huh? First thing I've brought through that can do something special. Catching prayers isn't easy to do. I don't think we even /can/ do it for other people's."
DanteE: ".... are you sure?"
Theresa: "Is he someone new or a modification?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Something new. Only worked out how to call it earlier this week."
DanteE: ".... when, exactly?"
Random_Nerd: S: "I don't know. Four days ago? We don't have a sun here, it's hard to keep track."
DanteE: (And, what else happened about then?)
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, we do in the palace-world, but the hell-world is easier to work with. Seeing flaws, weaknesses, and ways to control things is just easier there."
Theresa: "It may track with what we've seen. We had a full Excrucian break through another Chancel and a Dionyl Imperator not knowing if he was the Dionyl or a Warmain. We think the Wall could do things to memories."
Random_Nerd: S: "You think it's just getting easier? I'm not getting better?"
DanteE: (Or... Shadows broke something?)
Theresa: "I have no clue. Could be both. Unless you think you can pull Excrucians through the Wall?"
DanteE: "Something happened right about then that looks like a breach in the wall..."
Random_Nerd: S: "Dang it! I thought I was nearly ready for my crown..."
Random_Nerd: S: "No. I can't pull Excrucians through the wall. I don't even think I'd dare try."
Theresa: (Crown?)
DanteE: "Hate to ask, but... any chance you 'broke' something?"
Random_Nerd: S: "I'm not nearly that powerful. I think I have a talent for this, but if it was that easy to break the Wall, we'd all be fanning Strategists with fans made from our own internal organs."
Herbert: "Not a pretty picture..."
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, /you/ spend your time in a world halfway to Hell."
Random_Nerd: S: "And not in a figurative sense, in a 'I can see Lucifer from my house sort of sense.' Well, not quite, but you get the idea."
Theresa: "Does he really look like Luc Guiness?"
Random_Nerd: S: "I don't think so. But that would be too obvious, wouldn't it?"
Theresa: "Very true."
Theresa: (I think my brain's oozed out down the hall...)
DanteE: "Shadows... can you hold off on summoning stuff for a little while?"
DanteE: "Maybe take the time to train your new receptionist."
Random_Nerd: S: "No. It's my job. I need to get good at this before the end of the Age. I don't know why, but it's important."
DanteE: "important? Who said that? No offense intended."
Random_Nerd: S: "The boss. I know you don't like my Imperator, but..."
Random_Nerd: He trails off.
Theresa: "He's not an Imperator for nothing."
Random_Nerd: S: "Your Imperator scares me. He seems crazy, some of the stuff you've said he's done. But if he told you that you had to learn to fly a biplane in the next six months or there would be horrible results, you'd do it, right?"
Theresa: "Yep. Dante learned how to fly a helicopter in a few minutes."
Herbert: "Impressive!"

• • • DanteE has signed off IRC (Gryphon.MagicStar.net Atlantis.MagicStar.net).
      
    • Knockwood has joined #nobilis.
      
    • Knockwood is now known as DanteE.
      

Random_Nerd: S: "Neat trick. Well, I know that my boss says that I need to learn to do this soon, and that it's important. And it's not just a whim, he had the previous Shadows doing he same thing."
DanteE: (hm... connection glitch)
Random_Nerd: (Mind if we stop soon?)
DanteE: (Might be a good idea)
Theresa: (braaaains...)
DanteE: "Shadows, I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about Consequences. But if we think of anything we'll certainly try it."
Herbert: (Good idea.)
Random_Nerd: S: "Thanks. He's weird, sometimes, but he's family, you know?"
DanteE: "We know."
Theresa: *thinks of James* "Yeah."
Random_Nerd: S: "If I can pull through another wasp, would you like to borrow one?"

• Theresa looks at the others.
  

DanteE: "I'm OK without one..."
Herbert: "I'd try it at least."
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, I'll see what I can do. Good luck with whatever freaky end-of-the-world crap /your/ Imperator has /you/ doing."
DanteE: "Same to you..."
Theresa: "Well, we're going to get a shipment of people from Hell but other than that, it's more recovering from meeting the Council than anything. Oh and Ananda wanted us to tell you..."
Herbert: "Thanks..."
Theresa: (I think) "That he doesn't bear you any ill will."
Random_Nerd: S: "That utterly fails to reassure me."
Random_Nerd: S: "That's like having a guy with a gun walk up to you and say that he doesn't intend to shoot you."
Theresa: "Yeah, figured."
Random_Nerd: S: "I think I see how my brother got to be in the shape he's in."
Theresa: "Are you legal, because he's planning on a huge drinking binge once the crisis is over."
DanteE: "Even if he wasn't he is now, I think"
Random_Nerd: S: "Does it matter? I'm a Noble. If I can be trusted with summoning world-deforming creatures from outside reality, I can probably be trusted with booze."
Random_Nerd: S: "But... not both at once."
Theresa: "NADS, Nobles Against Drunk Summoning?"
Theresa: (And that there is a sign I need sleep...)
Random_Nerd: (Better get your Emergency Pants.)
Random_Nerd: S: "Anyway, I need to get back to work."
DanteE: (In today's news, Shadows was arrested for Summoning Under the Influence after somebody noticed all the day's shadows were apparently wearing lampshades...)
Theresa: (And leering appreciatively...)
Theresa: "Thanks for talking with us, Shadows."
DanteE: "Good luck out there."
Random_Nerd: S: "Don't let the soul-eating bedbugs from the Chaos Wastes bite."
Herbert: "We won't...hopefully."
Random_Nerd: The connection closes.
Random_Nerd: (Any last words before we stop?)
Herbert: "Let's go to Chicago." :)

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 13